Overload cutout for poweroperated doors and the like



May 20, 1952 F. H. vERsNEl.

OVERLOAD CUTOUT FOR POWER-OPERATED DOORS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 21, 1947 May 20, 1952 F. H. vl-:RsNEL OVERLOAD CUTOUT FORPOWER-OPERATED DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed March 2l. 1947 v 5 Sheets-Sheet2 May 20, 1952 F. H. vERsNEL 2,597,140

OVERLOAD CUTOUT FOR POWER-OPERATED DOORS AND THE LIKE Filed March 21,1947 s sheets-sheet s Patented May 20, 1952 TENT orsicE GVEEIQOAD CUTOUTFOR PVVERhl OPERAT-EDDOORS AND 'THE LIKE.

'Frederik Hendrik versnel, Amsterdam,

' Netherlands Application March 21, 1947, Serial No'. .736,320,- In theNetherlands January 7?, 1946v Section 1, Public Law 690', August Si 194eThe present' invention. relates toy an improved mechanism. forelectricallyoperating a member to be moved; in two directions,particularly for opening and closing doors, windows and the like. The'objectv of. the invention is to provide an improved operating means ofthe kind' referred: to,

which is simple and robust of construction and which; is adapted to beengaged and disengaged entirely automatically, independent ofanyfelementA of the mechanism or of the object to be moved, not` only asa resul-t of an excessive resistance occurring against the mechanicalymoveu ment of such object, but also when such object is accelerated byhandA withA respect to themechanical drive, thelatter factftherefore,opening the. possibility-in the case of applying the apparatusioractuating doors-oi openingand closingi the door or doors quickerley-hand than would be. effected by mechanical. operation Aifurther.object-of the'invention is to provide anJ apparatus ofthe-kinddeseribedr in which the mechanical operation, after having; beenput out of action, may beV reinstated at any desired. moment and in anydesired. position of the door or the like object;

With these and other objects in View the pres.- ent invention consistsin thatl the force for actuating. the door, window or other object isprovided by a, reversible electric motor of which the. tordue'isvtransmitted to the operating. me-

chani's'm. through. ay di'sengageable clutchfwhich Y is engaged by theinitial` movement of'- the, motor when startingupand'is disenaagedwhentheelement during. its movementmeets a resistance exceeding apredetermined maximum value/ Further. objects` and advantages: of myinvention andthe manner in which the same isl to be performed willy beapparent from the following description in which' the invention isfurther explained with reference to the" accompanying drawings,particularly as applied for opening and closing doors.

The drawings show more or less diagrammatically an embodiment of'anapparatus accordingrtothe invention; in` wlfiiclizY Fig. 1 shows a frontelevational view: of the apparatusg, partly in section;` y

Fig. 2.I shows a longitudinal sectional View in a planeat right anglesto the" planel of Fig.- 1l'.

Fig; 3 shows'a; horizontal cross-sectional! view.

Fig; 4 is an' emarged'view showing the locking means and spring'pawl; i

The apparatus consistsof a casing I secured tothe door frame adjacent.the hinged side: of tile-door and l containing a vertically disposedshaft 2 which through the medium oi anelastic coupling 3- is adapted tobe dri-ven bya reversible electric motor (not shown),C controlled forrotation in either direction through alowvoltagerelay circuit, bytwopressure buttons'provided on each oor or bycorrespondingcontroldsystems inother applications ofthe invention..

The sha-ft 2 has keyed thereto a wormt transmitting the torque withcorresponding reduction of. speed` through a worm gear 5to-fa`horizon-tally arranged transverse shaft 6 journalled in said casing. Iandalso carryingra worrnl meshing with aworm. gear 8.. Thislatter geari-'sfreely rotatable aboutr a stationary vertical-- shafts and, at itslower end ifs provided witha circularseries of axially projecting teethIll of equilateraltriangular shape.- rThese teethv M1 normallyengagecorre-1 spond'ingly shapedY teeth lflfofa iirst clutch ele? ment L35,mounted for axial: displacement over an enlargedportion I 2 of theshaft-gsuchrst clutch elementhaving a collar l? formed thereon andbei'ngprovidedf with a lseries ofteeth l-A5f`or cooperation withcorrespondingly'shaped teeth'of a second' clutch element, hereinafter toAbe referred to. l'he'innerface [-5 Vof* said rstcl'ut'ch element i I3`is provided'wi'th axially directed grooves or isform'edin any other"manner as a braking. surface' for cooperation withf braking, or lockingelementswhich in the presentfcase are'in the form of spring. operatedballs (8f-arranged' within radial' bores I7" of'theenlargedportion l2\dffthe shaft Slall' for the. purpose 'hereinafter to beset fo'rth. Y

A contact strip |`9` made-of elastic materiali and resting by itslownresilient' force on the" collar.V l'4` of' the first! clutch element [3lis arrangedlior cooperation with a second adjustable contact' element2l); conductivel'y' secured to a. strip 2`flf, such`r strips la'and"`2"| being. connectedvwith termi;- nalsl 22";` 2 3l respectively.lpassing. through the vwal-l of thelcasi'n'g. The' circuit. closing7 and"opening means thus formed isarrang'ed in aso-called locking-circuit.paralleli with the/actuating; pressure button switch ofthe motori Theabove-mentioned'` second clutch' element 2s.` is for axial displacementon ashaft 2'5, journalled-in. a1 vchamber of the-',en1arged1por'- tionl2ot the shaft 9,-suchy first-mentioned; sha-ft passing through a.stuiingbox 26 and arranged to operatean armor rod (notshowni for'openingand closing. the. door and for operating thebolt ofthe lock.-

rIheclutch element 24.is actedl upon 'by a rci turning pressure-spring;21,whilebetween fthe two clutch elementsx I-3, Z4 a:second'pressurespring `Simultaneously the contact 28 is arranged in a chamber of theclutch element 24, such spring, however being weaker than the returningspring 21.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

With the door closed or opened, the elements of the apparatus are in theposition shown in Fig. 2, i. e. the clutch I3, 24 is disengaged and theteeth IIJ, II are engaged throughout the entire height of the teeth. Toopen the door the corresponding pressure button on one of the floors ispressed, the electric motor through the said relay circuit is startedfor driving through the shaft 2, worm gear 5, shaft 6 and worm 1, theworm gear 8 with correspondingly reduced speed in the required directionof rotation. The clutch element I3 coupled with the Worm gear 8 throughthe teeth Il), II in this position of the clutch is initially locked bythe balls I8 against rotation, so that the teeth I by wedge-action,effect an axial displacement of the clutch element I3 against theresistance of the spring 28, thereby causing such rst clutch element tobe engaged with said second clutch element 24. At this instant thebraking surface I6 on account of the axial displacement of the clutchelement I3, is disengaged from the balls I8, so that said clutch elementI3 is carried along by the still partially engaged teeth I0, II therebydriving said second clutch element.

With this first clutch element I3 also moves the resilient contact stripI9 resting on the collar I4, to engage the contact element 2B, so thatthe motor-circuit is closed through the parallel locking-circuitallowing the respective pressure button to be released. l

The rotation of the shaft 25 rst causes the bolt of the lock to beretracted through the medium of the said operating mechanism andthereupon the door is swung open. When the door in its completely openposition strikes an abutment, or when in, some other way an excessiveresistance is set up against the movement of the door. the shaft 25 isheld or braked,

in the lock plate. When the resistance against the closing movement ofthe door exceeds the resistance represented by the adjustable pressurespring 21, the disengagement of the clutch and the stopping of the motoris effected in the same manner as stated above, after which the door isagain entirely free and may be operated by hand in the normal manner.

Disengagement of the clutch will also occur when'the complete closure ofthe door is prevented e. g. by an obstruction between the door and thethreshold. After removing the obstrucl tionfthe door may be closedfreely by hand.

It will be apparent that the invention is not restricted toitsapplication for operating doors, windowsand the like, but that theapparatus may be advantageously employed in all cases in Whichan elementis to be actuated or moved in two opposite directions.

What I claim is:

1. A clutch mechanism, particularly for use in an apparatus foroperating a body to be moved in two opposite directions, comprising arst clutch element consisting of an axially fixed part adapted to berotated in either direction and an axially movable part, the adjacentfaces of said two parts having interengaging double sided wedge faces, asecond clutch element adapted to be axially displaced against the actionof a spring force, means for holding said second part of said rst clutchelement against rotation relative to said first part up to the moment ofits engagement with said second clutch element thereby causing saidwedge faces to effect axial displacement of said second part uponrotation of said rst part in either direction, said Wedge faces beingdimensioned for producing a maximum axial displacement of said secondpart,

greater than that necessary for engaging said second part with saidsecond clutch element, and spring means arranged between said second lpart and said second clutch element and dimencausing the teeth Ill, IIto operate again as cooperating wedge-faces for displacingthe entireclutch I3, 24 against the force of the resistance spring 21 downwardsuntil the apices of teeth I0 snap over the apices of teeth II. Theclutch I3, 24 is now moved upwards as a whole by the spring 21 until theclutch element 24 attains its highest position shown in Fig. 2,whereupon the tensioned spring 28 disengages the clutch by forcing theclutch element I3 upwardsinto its starting position in which the teethI0, II are again engaged throughout their entire height. I9, 20 isopened thereby breaking the motor-circuit and causing the electric motorto be stopped. It will be apparent that if desired the door may now beclosed by hand as the clutch is disengaged.

For mechanically closing the door, the other pressure button is pressed,thereby starting the electric motor for rotation in the oppositedirection. The engagement of the clutch and the taking over of themotor-circuit by the contacts I9, 20 is effected in the same manner asabove described, so that the shaft 25 is now driven in oppositedirection, thereby causing the door to be first swung to until it abutsagainst the rabbet of the door` frame. Since the pressure on the doorcontinues the bolt of the lock is forced back by the mechanism notshown, and the door on account of its low speed is pressed with hardlyany noise into the rabbet of the door frame, thereby causing the bolt toenter the opening sioned to normally hold said wedge faces in fullengagement with a force less than that counteracting the axial movementof said second clutch element.

2. A clutch mechanism as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that theaxially displaceable part of said first clutch element over a portion ofits length is provided at one of its peripheral surfaces with a brakingsurface for cooperation with at least one locking member arranged in astationary element of v the mechanism.

3. A clutch mechanism as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that saidlocking member is in the form of a ball arranged in a bore of saidstationary element and a. spring also arranged in said bore andoperating to force said ball in' frictional engagement with said brakingsurface.

FREDERIK HENDRIK VERSNEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,938,720 Preble Dec. 12, 19332,153,195 Lilja Apr. 4, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 502,382Great Britain Mar. 16, 1939 661,243 France Mar. 4, 1929

